Preparations for a very uncertain future. . .

Let’s Get Started!

“OK, I’ve decided to take the plunge and become a prepper. Where do I begin?”

Well, before you can begin to acquire and stockpile supplies like food, water, prescription drugs and other medications, etc, you’re going to need a place to keep them. Preferably one that is large enough like a pantry or a small walk-in closet, or perhaps an unused corner of a basement. For example, in our house, we utilize the small walk-in closet of what is now a spare bedroom (since the kids moved out) and part of our garage as our storage areas. The location you choose should have shelves or room for you to erect shelves, adequate light, and be away from any sources of heat, like a furnace or water heater as nothing degrades the shelf life of foods like heat.

Your shelving should be strong enough to hold several dozen cases of canned goods and other food stuffs and there should be enough shelving, at least at the start, to hold a few months worth of food and water. How much shelving that is will depend on the size of your family and your calculations involving meal size, number of meals, types of food stored, etc. I will discuss how to calculate how much food to store when I post on beginning food preps in a few days.

The only other consideration about the location you select as your storage is one of OpSec or operational security. The pros and cons of keeping your preparations from the prying eyes of neighbors is an issue that is discussed endlessly in the prepping community and seldom agreed upon. There are those that wish to keep their preps a secret either because they don’t want to be thought of as ‘tin-foil-hat‘ wearer, or because they’d rather not be put in the position of having to explain why they have six months of food in the basement. There are others who actively tell their neighbors about their decision to stock up on some ‘rainy day’ supplies in hopes of convincing others to take up the hobby – and yes, it is a hobby. You’ll see. There are still others who vividly remember that Twilight Zone episode where all the neighbors laughed as a man installed a fallout shelter in his backyard until the day came when nuclear war seemed inevitable and they were all begging to get in. Your food and water supply could be scoffed at, then coveted by the same people. The analogy is an obvious one. Which one are you? Or, perhaps, are you somewhere in between.

About This Blog

If you’re searching for a site that shows you how to build a lead-lined, steel-reinforced, underground Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical-proof bunker, you’ve come to the wrong place. This blog is not about ‘Bug-Out Locations’ and methods for deploying claymore mines – there are plenty of those already on the net. This site is dedicated to that increasing number of Americans who sense something is VERY wrong with our economy and our politicians and have chosen to be proactive in their preparations for possible hard times ahead.

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